In the 30th ODI meeting between these sides, Zimbabwe did what they had not for 31 years and beat Australia. The captain Elton Chigumbura engineered the chase that changed 11,406 days of history, after his spinners had applied a stranglehold that kept Australia to their lowest total against Zimbabwe, and achieved only their second win against these opponents.

Chigumbura's opposite number, Michael Clarke, battled a hamstring niggle that ruled him out of the rest of the tri-series, and held his side together on a spin-friendly surface on which none of the other Australian batsmen settled. But Zimbabwe's challenge was always going to be chasing a total over 200 - they were dismissed for less in their last four ODIs - and when Nathan Lyon picked up career-best figures and they were reduced to 156 for 7, another collapse seemed likely. A 55-run stand between Chigumbura and Prosper Utseya for the eighth wicket ensured Zimbabwe did not fold and sent Harare Sports Club into frenzied celebration.

The dancing in the stands had begun in the morning when Zimbabwe reduced Australia to 39 for 3. John Nyumbu bowled Aaron Finch, Prosper Utseya had Phillip Hughes caught at slip, and Sean Williams bowled George Bailey to give Zimbabwe early control.

Clarke was still there but needed a partner to rebuild and could not find one in Glenn Maxwell, despite him being the recipient of the first of five let-offs from Zimbabwe. Maxwell was on 13 when he edged Malcolm Waller as he tried to drive but Brendan Taylor could not hold on. Fortunately for Zimbabwe, Waller bowled him with his next delivery to ensure no harm was done from that missed chance.

Smart Stats

11,406 Number of days since Zimbabwe's last and only other ODI-win against Australia. They had beat Australia in the 1983 World Cup, at Trent Bridge, which was also Zimbabwe's first ODI. Between the two wins, Zimbabwe's win-loss record against them was 27-0.

209 Runs scored by Australia in this match - their lowest total against Zimbabwe when batting first. Australia's previous lowest against them was 225, at the SCG more than ten years ago. There have been only ten scores lower than Australia's 209 in the first innings of an ODI, when the team has lasted the full quota of 50 overs against Zimbabwe.

11 Number of fifty-plus scores by Elton Chigumbura batting at No. 7 in ODIs, the most by any batsman at that position since Chigumbura's debut.

7 Number of fifty-plus scores Zimbabwe's No. 7 has hit in wins, including Chigumbura's unbeaten 52 in this match. The last time a Zimbabwe No. 7 hit a fifty in a win was when Chigumbura made an unbeaten 60 against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2009. Four of these seven fifties have been by Chigumbura.

6 Number of fifty-plus partnerships in wins by Zimbabwe's eighth wicket, including the one between Chigumbura and Prosper Utseya in this match. The last such partnership was between Graeme Cremer and Stuart Matsikenyeri against Kenya in 2009 at the same venue. Overall there have been 18 fifty-plus partnerships for Zimbabwe's eighth wicket in ODIs.

133 Australia's score by the 40th over of their innings - the second lowest by any team other than Bangladesh against Zimbabwe in ODIs since 2000. Sri Lanka were 101 after 40 overs in an ODI in 2008 at the same venue. Including Bangladesh, it is the seventh lowest a team has scored against Zimbabwe in the first-40 overs since 2000.

They could not say the same about all the others. Mitchell Marsh had not scored when he flicked Nyumbu to short leg but Tino Mawoyo put down the chance. Marsh added 40 runs with Clarke, although he only contributed 15. Brad Haddin should have been out on 5 but Waller dropped a return catch from a top-edge, on 14 when Chatara fluffed a chance in his follow-through, and on 17 when Chatara put down an easier opportunity at short fine leg.

Amid all of that, Clarke brought up his 50 off 80 balls, but left the field on 68 in the 43rd over because of hamstring trouble. That gave Zimbabwe the opening they wanted and they stormed through. Utseya had James Faulkner caught at slip off the first ball he faced and Williams bowled Mitchell Starc through the gate in the next over to leave Australia 150 for 7.

Only Cutting's cameo at No. 10, Haddin's 49, and Chigumbura using seamers at the end instead of spinners took Australia over 200, but this time it was not enough, especially because their attack was without Mitchell Johnson, who was rested.

Zimbabwe had not made such a total in their last four ODIs but that changed because they got a better start today. Tino Mawoyo and Sikandar Raza delivered the best opening partnership of the last eight matches through patience and application.

They waited until the third over before taking their first run and Raza reined in his usual aggressive instincts as much as he could. He could not resist if anything was too short or too full but he got away with it until Australia introduced spin in the 12th over. Lyon's second legitimate delivery turned sharply from outside off into Raza, who was surprised by extra bounce as he tried to cut and handed first slip a catch. In his next over Lyon got rid of Mawoyo too.

Those wickets brought Zimbabwe's most experienced batting pair, Hamilton Masakadza and Taylor, together. Taylor swept with confidence and the pair negotiated flight and turn from both Lyon and Maxwell. They were separated only when Clarke, who returned to lead in the 19th over, brought Starc back. He fired one in full and fast to cut Masakadza in half and end the third-wicket stand on 56.

Seven deliveries later, Taylor went forward to a loopy ball from Lyon that snuck between bat and pad to hit off-stump, but it was only when Sean Williams was caught at slip to give Lyon career-best figures of 4 for 44 that Zimbabwe were in danger of unraveling. They teetered on 102 for 5 and Lyon still had 26 balls to bowl.

Chigumbura eased concerns with two fours off Lyon to suggest Zimbabwe were far from done. Waller helped to see Lyon off, though it meant defending rather than looking for runs. His 11 came off 39 balls and when he handed Maxwell a return catch, Chigumbura was left with the tail.

Donald Tiripano was dismissed for 3 but Prosper Utseya was not anywhere. He sliced Starc through point for his first runs and showed he was willing to move the score along to take pressure off his captain.

Zimbabwe entered the last ten overs needing 44 to win and Chigumbura and Utseya hunted them down in calculated fashion. Chigumbura's finishing skills shone through when he guided Marsh to third man, but he largely concentrated on rotating strike and letting Utseya take risks. With the field spread, the pair did not have to take too many, apart from when Utseya cleared mid-on off a Faulkner length ball.

Chigunbura's 50 came off 61 balls with a punch through point and took Zimbabwe within 15 runs of victory. Even as they got closer, Chigumbura did not get over-ambitious and maintained a level head. Utseya struck the winning blow - a smoke over midwicket - with two overs to spare and gave Zimbabwe an outside chance of making the tri-series final.

Well done to Zimbabwe on a famous win - something that the team with the Flowers never managed to do, so let's give credit where it's due.

I have to point out that Mangongo appears to have adopted a more pragmatic approach than he promised. Despite Taylor getting a duck last match, he did what we were all calling for and allowed him to play, and look what happened? He got the second highest score of this amazing match, and was the key player in the biggest partnership. So, this is what we are talking about when we point out the folly of dropping a player like Taylor, even after a poor run.

Elton - that was his most important knock of his career. Very proud of you man. A true captains knock you can tell your grandkids about.

Utseya. What can I say? What a feisty, gutsy little player!

And Williams bowled amazingly well, as did Prosper and Nyumbu.

on September 1, 2014, 14:39 GMT

Zimbabwe have actually been very unlucky not to win a few others against Australia over the years, their performance in this game was absolutely outstanding, losing by just one run against a full strength Aussie team in Perth, Carlisle's century was sensational and whenever I think about Zimbabwean cricket at its best, I always come back to this match;

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/65612.html

It really was a classic.

on September 1, 2014, 14:12 GMT

Hats off to Zimbabwe. Bravo!

millsy24
on September 1, 2014, 12:22 GMT

fguy, this is nowhere near a full strength Aussie team. They are trying some people out and different combinations in preparation for the World Cup. Warner and Watson are shoe ins to come back in and when they finally put the best team on the park we should go better. Leaving Smith out for this game was crazy as he is almost as good a player of spin as Clarke is. Like Clarke said, Zimbabwe outplayed us and he was correct and I am pleased for them that they won.

AMMAR3438668158
on September 1, 2014, 12:07 GMT

what happen to aussie bowling?i can't understand the strategy of aussie team in this tri-series.against sa we replace lyon,against zim smith,richardson or johnson replace.why these changes are made? i am pakistani and australia is my favourite and i did not see of losing australia.is lehman take this series as experiments?our ranking is effected by losing every match in this series.every one appreciate zim team i know they played really well and deserve this victory.i also congrats to zim but i really feel disappoint by this defeat.i really missl brett lee in bowling depart.faulkner and starc should improve their bowling.pat cummings,henriqus and benhelfanhaus should be bowling part in odi team.one big mistake that australia make is dropping client mckey who is the regular odi bowler in recent year and i can't understand for dropping mckey for this tri-series.

Not_Another_Keybored_Expert
on September 1, 2014, 11:51 GMT

@fguy; This was anything but a full strength Aus side, they were missing Warner, Watson, S. Marsh, Johnson and Pattinson not to mention playing a heavily injured Clarke, This by no way belittles What Zimbabwe have achieved they thoroughly deserved the victory.

11406 days waao what a calculation i think in this era great captains of australia come like allan border,steve waugh,mark taylor, ricky thomas ponting zimbabwe failed to make single win. Andy flower,grham flower, heath streak,henry olanga failed to win single match for their country against australia. 11406 days for australia how many days for india i think suresh raina led captaincy lost against zimbabwe in 28.05.2010 that means before 1600 days team india lost against zimbabwe.

Ms.Cricket
on September 1, 2014, 11:01 GMT

Phil Hughes bring bad fortune to the Australian team. Aussies lost to India 4-0 when Hughes played, lost in the 2013 series in England and now lost both ODI that Hughes played. His body language is similar to Duncan Fletcher's.

SuperSharky
on September 1, 2014, 11:00 GMT

Congratulations Zimbabwe. It was really a pleasure to watch this match. The minnows at number 10 on the ICC rankings, reminded the number 4 on the rankings, that in cricket, anything can happen with a few good balls bowled and a few good strokes played. During this series you could see how Zimbabwe grew better and better. Chigumbura and Prosper and the whole Zimbabwe team and management made my day.

Nduru
on August 31, 2014, 15:52 GMT

Well done to Zimbabwe on a famous win - something that the team with the Flowers never managed to do, so let's give credit where it's due.

I have to point out that Mangongo appears to have adopted a more pragmatic approach than he promised. Despite Taylor getting a duck last match, he did what we were all calling for and allowed him to play, and look what happened? He got the second highest score of this amazing match, and was the key player in the biggest partnership. So, this is what we are talking about when we point out the folly of dropping a player like Taylor, even after a poor run.

Elton - that was his most important knock of his career. Very proud of you man. A true captains knock you can tell your grandkids about.

Utseya. What can I say? What a feisty, gutsy little player!

And Williams bowled amazingly well, as did Prosper and Nyumbu.

on September 1, 2014, 14:39 GMT

Zimbabwe have actually been very unlucky not to win a few others against Australia over the years, their performance in this game was absolutely outstanding, losing by just one run against a full strength Aussie team in Perth, Carlisle's century was sensational and whenever I think about Zimbabwean cricket at its best, I always come back to this match;

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/65612.html

It really was a classic.

on September 1, 2014, 14:12 GMT

Hats off to Zimbabwe. Bravo!

millsy24
on September 1, 2014, 12:22 GMT

fguy, this is nowhere near a full strength Aussie team. They are trying some people out and different combinations in preparation for the World Cup. Warner and Watson are shoe ins to come back in and when they finally put the best team on the park we should go better. Leaving Smith out for this game was crazy as he is almost as good a player of spin as Clarke is. Like Clarke said, Zimbabwe outplayed us and he was correct and I am pleased for them that they won.

AMMAR3438668158
on September 1, 2014, 12:07 GMT

what happen to aussie bowling?i can't understand the strategy of aussie team in this tri-series.against sa we replace lyon,against zim smith,richardson or johnson replace.why these changes are made? i am pakistani and australia is my favourite and i did not see of losing australia.is lehman take this series as experiments?our ranking is effected by losing every match in this series.every one appreciate zim team i know they played really well and deserve this victory.i also congrats to zim but i really feel disappoint by this defeat.i really missl brett lee in bowling depart.faulkner and starc should improve their bowling.pat cummings,henriqus and benhelfanhaus should be bowling part in odi team.one big mistake that australia make is dropping client mckey who is the regular odi bowler in recent year and i can't understand for dropping mckey for this tri-series.

Not_Another_Keybored_Expert
on September 1, 2014, 11:51 GMT

@fguy; This was anything but a full strength Aus side, they were missing Warner, Watson, S. Marsh, Johnson and Pattinson not to mention playing a heavily injured Clarke, This by no way belittles What Zimbabwe have achieved they thoroughly deserved the victory.

11406 days waao what a calculation i think in this era great captains of australia come like allan border,steve waugh,mark taylor, ricky thomas ponting zimbabwe failed to make single win. Andy flower,grham flower, heath streak,henry olanga failed to win single match for their country against australia. 11406 days for australia how many days for india i think suresh raina led captaincy lost against zimbabwe in 28.05.2010 that means before 1600 days team india lost against zimbabwe.

Ms.Cricket
on September 1, 2014, 11:01 GMT

Phil Hughes bring bad fortune to the Australian team. Aussies lost to India 4-0 when Hughes played, lost in the 2013 series in England and now lost both ODI that Hughes played. His body language is similar to Duncan Fletcher's.

SuperSharky
on September 1, 2014, 11:00 GMT

Congratulations Zimbabwe. It was really a pleasure to watch this match. The minnows at number 10 on the ICC rankings, reminded the number 4 on the rankings, that in cricket, anything can happen with a few good balls bowled and a few good strokes played. During this series you could see how Zimbabwe grew better and better. Chigumbura and Prosper and the whole Zimbabwe team and management made my day.

fguy
on September 1, 2014, 10:41 GMT

this is priceless. full strength aus losing to zim who werent able to beat even india's B team.

well done, zim. keep it up & win the title too.

ImonG
on September 1, 2014, 10:37 GMT

Congratulations to Zimbabwe, great job. Wish they could produce results like this at a regular frequency. The Aussies on the other hand should not be worried to much about the loss itself, every one is liable to have a bad day in office once in a while. But what really concerns me, is that you give them a track that has got turn in it, & the only batsman with any worth while contribution is still Michael Clarke & Brad Haddin. Not much of improvement in that department it seems form their 4-0 test series drubbing in India. No matter how good a player one may be of the cut, pull/hook, let's not forget majority of the cricket now a days are played in turning tracks (the subcontinent, UAE, West Indies). To reach their glorious standards of late 90's & onwards, young Aussies have to get a grip of how to handle spin bowling. You can be a so called FAST TRACK BULLY, but to shine as a complete player,one should not be SPIN TRACK NOVICES. Cricket is not just about bouncers & chin music.

FiGhtCluB_99
on September 1, 2014, 10:13 GMT

Congratulations to Zimbabwe on a great win. But Australia still remain firm favorites to lift the WC next year. One loss to Zimbabwe doesn't make Australia a bad team. In fact, it should come as a wake up call. Remember Australia losing 3-0 to New Zealand just before the 2007 WC and then steamrolling every team at the WC? Watch out for Australia at the WC. -- not an Australian supporter

Raj_Abel
on September 1, 2014, 9:58 GMT

Zimbawe beat Aussie in the 1st round of the 1983 WC. They almost beat India.
Famous Gavasker and Srikkanth - the opening pair got out for ducks. Ravi Sahastri and Sandeep Patil scored a run each Then of course the saviour Kapil just smashed 175 runs with 16 fours and 6 sixers and Syed Kirmani scored 24 runs off 56 balls.
In reply Zim scored 235 runs in 57 balls. But Zim lost to Aussie in the Second round.
Pleasant memories

Ala-Wageda-Goa
on September 1, 2014, 9:50 GMT

Congratulations to Zimbabwe, well done, small steps make big difference in the years to come. Very well diserved throughout the game and keep it up.

TheBigBoodha
on September 1, 2014, 9:42 GMT

One thing few people have noted. ZB's innings is littered with two and threes, whereas Australia scored almost all singles, and a few boundaries at the end. I suspect this must have been because of Clarke's injury. It probably cost Australia 20 runs, while Clarke's spinners would also have been very dangerous on that track.

on September 1, 2014, 8:50 GMT

Zimbabwe needs victory like this one. I thoroughly enjoyed this game. Prosper Utseya's winning shot six is still in my mind and it is a stand out one.

ZCFOutkast
on September 1, 2014, 8:34 GMT

They Australians were "Mangongod" by Zimbabwe. Excellent move to make Elton Chigumbura captain. He's leading form the front brilliantly. Prosper Utseya confirming to the world that he is indeed a world class spinner. Well done boys of Zimbabwe! The Proteas should also have been Mangongod in the previous game, make sure next time.

ZainE111
on September 1, 2014, 8:26 GMT

Just remember, people, that ZIM players probably earn a tiny fraction of the money the AUS players earn. And that's not even counting the guys with fat IPL contracts. Well done, ZIM. Well done indeed.

on September 1, 2014, 8:25 GMT

well done Zimbabwe.now no team will take any other team lightly.

on September 1, 2014, 8:17 GMT

congratz...from SL Zimbabwe well done

anver777
on September 1, 2014, 8:13 GMT

Strangely !!! UTSEYA took career best of 5/36 (including a hat trick) but still ZIM lost the match to SA, last night LYON took career best of 4/44 but AUS lost to ZIM......
Both bowled beautifully, but unfortunately the result went the other way !!!!

on September 1, 2014, 8:01 GMT

Does anyone checked who was the Man of the match in the match at Trent Bridge 31years ago... The man none other than current India coach Duncan FLetcher for his 4wickets.. That's really a cool stats :) Isn't it?? May be he would've cherished about it after the Zimbabwe win over Aus... Congrats Zimbabwe. Happy Memories FLetcher ;)

Sexysteven
on September 1, 2014, 7:55 GMT

Unfortunately this prob was a one off for the zimbos they just don't have the talent they have decent spinners but only medium pace journeymen and only one quality batsmen in Brendon Taylor although elton looks ok with the bat they need him to develop and score bigger n more consistent and should play test cricket I think cos they need acouple of good batsmen to support Taylor and acouple of fast pace bowlers to support the spinners then they would be more competitive

Masood_Indher
on September 1, 2014, 7:51 GMT

Well Played Zimbabwe you deserved the win

Greatest_Game
on September 1, 2014, 7:38 GMT

I have never, in all my years of reading the posts here on cricinfo, see such unanimous praise and goodwill literally rain down, for any team, after any match. Zimbabwe clearly won a lot more than a cricket match: they won the hearts of the cricketing world!

Face it, we cricket fans are a pretty persnickety bunch, and we just love to argue with each other, sometimes it seems just for the sport of it. Yet with one win the dogged and determined men in red have sown unity and goodwill amongst us. Now that takes some doing!

Take a bow, Zimbabwe. You have won the respect and affection of cricket fans everywhere.

Nayan_Bhuyan
on September 1, 2014, 7:30 GMT

Congratulation to the Zimbabwe Cricket. They have now proof that they have the calibrate to challenge any team of the globe. Zimbabwe Cricket should try to improve their domestic cricket playing level and improve the game standard in schools, colleges & university. So that one day they also become the super power of the game of cricket.

jmcilhinney
on September 1, 2014, 7:22 GMT

@EnglishCricket on (August 31, 2014, 18:41 GMT), I knew that there'd have to be at least one England fan who would use this to try to score some imagined points and make us all look bad in the process. I'm not going to pretend that I'm not delighted every time Australia lose but, looking at England's form at the moment, we probably would have lost too. Gloating is unattractive at the best of times but at least save it for when your own team is actually doing the winning.

Congrats to Zimbabwe for a well-earned win. I was following the last few overs on my phone and was really pleased to see them cross the line in style. For Australia, I'm sure that they'll analyse this defeat and learn something from it but I don't think it's cause for any major concern right now. It seems like they are playing with combinations to a degree right now and have probably learned that this was not a great one for these conditions.

Shaggy076
on September 1, 2014, 7:03 GMT

I haven't seen the game but congratulations to Zimbabwe you were obviously the better team on this day. Looking at the Australian perspective I wouldn't panic to much from this glitch as I think we are still on track for the upcoming world cup. There are a couple of issues we need to sort out ie slow decks (however unlikely to be a factor in the next world cup) and bowling when the opposition team have a run on - when the other batting line up is going we struggle to get the dot balls or build up pressure by restricting boundaries for any period of time. Most of our bowlers like to hit the deck which gives inventive batsman opportunities. Whats happened to bowling Yorkers? or full outside off and setting off-side dominant fields?

@lian_14: I mostly agree with you. Our attack, for whatever reason, struggles on low/slow/spinning decks just as much as our batsmen. It's a real problem and we'll never be the force we want to be until we get over it. As it is, every team in the world either prepares slow turners or very lively swinging tracks when they've got to play us. We're not much good on either at the moment and until we are this sort of thing will continue to happen regardless of who holds down the captains job.

enlightenedone
on September 1, 2014, 6:44 GMT

as an aussie fan i want to congratulate zimbabwe for their historic win.its sad to see the state of zimbabwe cricket when there is so much talent around. we need a strong zimbabwe team of the mid nineties and early two thousands.
yes we lost this match but we will comeback strong and live to fight another day. when aussies win we like to give credit to the opposition not like some indian fans on here always making excuses and blaming everyone but their own team. not to mention all the comments in hindsight.

missionbegins2011
on September 1, 2014, 6:40 GMT

Well done ZIM ! had stopped following the match after 106-5 (thinking it would be the same old story) but woke up today to the surprisingly good news.....though AUS was not full strength and i think the final will still be AUS vs SA but nice to see that the mighty AUS is not that mighty any more..

Flaaffy
on September 1, 2014, 6:28 GMT

Is it just me or was the final six actually hit by Chigumbura and not Utseya. They required 6 to win the match and Utseya took a single from Starc, then requiring 5 Chigumbura , the captain, smoked the six over midwicket. I remember the commectators saying "the captain has done it".

vigneshmurali
on September 1, 2014, 6:09 GMT

Bravo hope to see more such upsets.PArty on zimbabwe

indiasupbangalore
on September 1, 2014, 6:01 GMT

Thanks zimbabwe for making my day, when I woke today morning, to read the news on the monday morning that you guys have won after 31 years against aussies was truely delightful. I am inspired by your fighting spirit, with less resources, and less oppurtunities you guys have shown plenty of heart to beat the mighty aussies who are likely contenders to win the world cup in 6 months time. My spirit is lifted by reading your win.

on September 1, 2014, 5:58 GMT

What a win!!!! Reading about it today and feeling absolutely thrilled and overwhelmed for the Zimbabweans :-) On another day, it might have been a foregone conclusion that it will be an Aus v SA final, with Zim just making up the numbers - but it seems that they are not willing to wilt, go down without a fight. Although its not that Zim has got on to a winning streak, but its really heartening to note that they will not just get ousted from the ring, but are willing to throw a few punches back at the Aussies...Warms the heart!!

Best of Luck to Zim for this series!!! with love & regards from India!

Flemo_Gilly
on September 1, 2014, 5:57 GMT

@Harry i agree with you on Hughes.he just looks like a lost duck whenever the slow bowlers come on, against Ajmal and Narine he will be a sitting duck so better to get him out now.

on September 1, 2014, 5:33 GMT

well done lads!!!

on September 1, 2014, 5:09 GMT

I thought that Zim played out of their skins, I felt bad for Aussies' who gave their everything in the field. On another day, I think Zim would have seen 240 on the score card ....

Other than the (unnecessary) resting of players, the way Clarke walked on to the field to take things over from Bailey unceremoniously, I think afterthought Han moment, there were just 10 Aussies and one insecure/ disgruntled Bailey on the field.

These things happen in cricket, and that is what makes the game so beautiful... Zim started partying in the stands way before the game was over, have fun treat your hangover now..

on September 1, 2014, 5:09 GMT

Well done Zim! Now if SA beat Aus again on Tuesday and then lose to ZIm on Thursday, Aus will be out and it will be a SA/Zim final. (All Africa final)

eyballfallenout
on September 1, 2014, 4:58 GMT

Congratulations Zimbabwe, im an Australian Supporter and by the last 4 overs found myself wishing you a long to get the runs, the people in the crowed were so happy and screaming at every ball. was great to watch, also its so good for your team and will build confidence for further wins. I really enjoyed the game and watching you guys bat at the end and hold your nerve playing some great shots.

on September 1, 2014, 4:51 GMT

If I am right, this win comes after the win in the world cup of 1983.

Sooraz1985
on September 1, 2014, 4:30 GMT

Chigumbura has been instrumental in every Zimbabwean victory so far and so was he in this match. Zimbabwe has got a captain to look for after such a long time. Many congrats to Zimbabwe on a famous win and surely this is gonna lift their morale for upcoming World Cup 2015. And Aussies...Man! Stop underestimating others.

Abaa
on September 1, 2014, 4:22 GMT

If Zimbabwe had got half the chances that Bangladesh has been consistently getting over the past few years, we could have been seeing a lot more progress from them than all the embarrassing and humiliating performances we have been seeing from Bangladesh. Wake up ICC ... Bangladesh is yet to beat a full strength top 8 side while Zimbabwe beat Pakistan just less than a couple of years ago after having been out of test action for nearly a decade! And don't forget their performance against SAF a couple of days ago!

anver777
on September 1, 2014, 4:15 GMT

What a win by ZIM !!! a "HUGE SIX" from Utseya to seal the game !!! Chigumbura played a real captain's knock, he stayed till the end to make sure this memorable victory happen after 31 long years... Utseya made a useful 30 in the match winning partnership with Chigumbura !!!

Kotuwegogoda
on September 1, 2014, 4:04 GMT

Congratulations ZC for well deserved win against 3 times WC winners. This may not catapult ZC to top of the rankings or # 1 ODI side but certainly inject fresh vigour to the players that no team is insurmountable. If ZC boys play to full potentials, they can beat any top side by making fewer errors on the ground. They should believe in themselves and fear none but play every ball on its merit. Then your team can put a decent total on the board and then get the bowlers and fielders to perform their part well.

As a Srilankan fan I couldn't be more happier to Utseya hoiking a six to seal the deal with 3 overs to spare. I certainly hope and pray Bangladesh Cricket will also come out of the winless jinx this year. If teams at the bottom of the ladder can improve gradually, then the competition will get tougher and put the spectators on their toe rather than expect lop sided results.

Elton Chigumbura you and your boys no doubt brought joy to ZC and country

Balasg
on September 1, 2014, 3:51 GMT

Less chances for Ausi to win this world cup, lot of chances for SA, AUS, SL and IND for semis. Sure a tough battle

katch47
on September 1, 2014, 3:43 GMT

As Sun Tzu said "If you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles". This is what happen when you underestimate your opponents. Why AUS did have to rest Mitchell Johnson and Smith when they do not need rest? And why are there so many fast bowlers in the squad? Where is Xavier Doherty? Well deserved defeat for the Australians and I think it will be an eye opener.

cricketsubh
on September 1, 2014, 3:23 GMT

if aus need tow in wc 2015 they need to pick their right squd now pick ur bet 15 and play they change to much pick meaning less players in the team player like mitch marsh,lyon,richadsion their is no place for them and boof need to stop picking allrounder heavy side in odi cricket only 4 filder outside as a team u need regular bowlers not allrounders vs zim tey pick 3 allrounders and 2 bowlers thats wat they lose the match i think they need pick dhourty and mckay, for pak odi tour in nxt month and pick ur beat 15 in that series and play team not pick meaningless players .rayen harris need to be pick in the wc 15 squads.plz publish cricinfo

on September 1, 2014, 3:13 GMT

I think Cameron Boyce is one particular spinner who could support Lyon. Despite his mediocre FC stats, he hasn't played on spin friendly wickets that much.

The CLT20 will be a good test for Boyce to see if he's worthy of having a place in the Australian team. Right now I think it's a bit to early for him, but he may just make the trip to UAE if he performs well in India.

bren19
on September 1, 2014, 3:12 GMT

Cricket is a game won by your 5 best bowlers and 6 best batman. For goodness sake - pick them and stop stacking the team with all rounders who are average at both disciplines.

on September 1, 2014, 3:07 GMT

Chennai_Cricket, While your observation is valid, they couldn't defend big totals against India and South Africa just them. Don't count out the fact that these were on pitches that are not suited to Australia's pace attack. The World Cup is in Australia, and obviously it will suit the Aussie Seam attack, so don't count out the Aussie's bowling attack.

Proteas_Supporter
on September 1, 2014, 3:00 GMT

Congrats Zimbabwe on a famous victory! Well played Chigumbara!

How about this for a scenario? SA should somehow beat Aus and deliberately lose against Zim which means it will be a Zim-SA finals :P Hope this happens. :D

OneEyedAussie
on September 1, 2014, 2:56 GMT

Firstly, congratulations to the Zimbabwean team on a well earned and deserved victory.

Secondly, where to start with this top down mess from Australia! Why were there only two specialist bowlers playing? Why didn't we take two specialist spinners in the squad? Why are there so many boom or bust players in our batting line-up? Why weren't our best players of spin selected? Why wasn't the team selected with due regard to the pitch and conditions? Looks like the selectors picked a glass cannon team (in more ways than one) and today it shattered.

on September 1, 2014, 2:48 GMT

winning one match does not benefit cricket in totallity, teams like bang, zim, afgan, ireland, netherderland need to step up and make cricket more exciting

AshwinMS
on September 1, 2014, 2:37 GMT

Well done Zimbabwe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xtrafalgarx
on September 1, 2014, 1:49 GMT

@Lian_14: He had Maxwell in the side who, besides the fact he went for a few here, is obviously much better option than Finch. Bailey hasn't a clue on how to rotate bowlers, it's something I have seen a few times now. I remember once he didn't bowl out Doherty who was going to under 4 or 5 an over while everyone else was going for 7+. He always says at the end of the games 'i could have bowled so and so a bit more', well then, learn from your mistake.

Chennai_Cricket
on September 1, 2014, 1:49 GMT

Australian bowling attack don't have variety. Any team can chase easily the big score with australia.

In india tour. India chased 350 above score for 2 times. This series southafrica also chased 330 easily. Australia have the worst bowling attack. Australia batting have more aggression than bowling. Australia going to have tough times in worldcup.

xtrafalgarx
on September 1, 2014, 1:34 GMT

@Germanplayer: Being humble doesn't always mean belittling yourself, it just means being honest. If you say 'we are not the best', when deep inside you believe you are, that's not humility that's dishonesty. So if these blokes believe they are the best, there's not problem with that, and the ranking before did show that we were, so it's safe to assume that it was the best batting line up.

It also pays to remember that a few blokes are missing from this line up.

Bang_La
on September 1, 2014, 0:43 GMT

Congratulations Zimbabwe!

on September 1, 2014, 0:03 GMT

A for Apple
B for Ball
C for Catch
D for Drop
Zimbabwe managed to do what can the change the face of cricket for them.Remember India was ordinary team and then Dhoni came and changed the face of cricket .Same is going to happen with Zimbabwe.They have what it takes to be top side.They have improved as ODI side.They are going to give a hard time to other team in comming days.This win will give them a moral boost.If they can beat Australia ,they can beat anyone.Just wait and watch.

lian_14
on August 31, 2014, 23:59 GMT

@xtrafalgarx The lack of spinning options forced Bailey to choose to bowl Finch against Zimbabwe because of the nature of the pitch where part-timers were made to look like spin kings. His first over went for 3 runs which is reasonable, and hence got another over. I don't see anything wrong with that decision.

And those times when he captained and failed to defend 300+ scores, the pitches were obviously batter-friendly and the bowlers just don't seem like they can bowl on such pitches, either through lack of variety in their skills or lack of variety in the attack. I'm not defending him as captain, because he does sometimes have tactical blunders (as do all captains), but it's not entirely his fault that the bowling attack can't make breakthroughs and take wickets on dead pitches. At the end of the day, I feel that if the attack is not up to the mark, then the captaincy will just look equally as poor.

on August 31, 2014, 23:58 GMT

Congrats Zimbabwe lets hope this is the first of many wins to come and not a flash in the pan. Bangladesh now have to start stepping up.

_-Will-_
on August 31, 2014, 23:42 GMT

Excellent work Zimbabwe, congratulations!! This win is awesome for Zimbabwe and is also really good for the game itself. Give these guys more cricket against higher ranked teams, and as some others have said here, perhaps more matches on spinning subcontinental tracks. Also give them time. They've only played a handful of games this series but seem to be improving with every match. More importantly, Zim are showing the will to fight it out, something which is missing from certain other higher ranked and better paid teams. Zimbabwe won despite putting down several catches, some ordinary fielding, questionable bowling changes in the death overs, and the usual batting issues. I think if they played more cricket more often, these sorts of issues might get ironed out with experience.

Well done again Zimbabwe and best wishes for future matches!

dunger.bob
on August 31, 2014, 23:26 GMT

Well done Zim. A great effort and well deserved. As for my Aussies - back to the drawing board boys.

Potatis
on August 31, 2014, 23:17 GMT

Well played Zimbabwe, enjoy the win! Australia needs to pick their strongest team from now on, and stop taking it easy when they play Zimbabwe. I'm not happy with Cutting in the side, especially over someone like Smith.

millsy24
on August 31, 2014, 23:05 GMT

Zim deserved that win. I realise the selectors are trying different combinations and people, but leaving Smith out? This is nowhere near the team that will play the World Cup and some look like they are playing themselves out of the team and not into it. The only two who contributed are both test players and not T20 sloggers and we all saw how well they did on a pitch that was difficult to bat on instead of their normal roads. Good thing is that we don't have dust bowls in Australia and spin won't be as important. Best thing is it proves how much we need Michael Clarke for his batting but more importantly for his captaincy.

Draconarius
on August 31, 2014, 22:50 GMT

As a loyal Aussie, let me just say: well played, Zimbabwe. You out-bowled us and handled the chase expertly. You deserved the win. Enjoy it.

As for the Aussie team, depressingly this didn't really tell us anything we didn't already know. Most of our batsmen are weak against spin, going into spin-friendly conditions without both Clarke and Smith is a recipe for disaster (and we have no Clarke for the rest of the series. Brilliant...), and though Lyon is good he can't do it all himself and needs better support in these conditions than part-timers can provide. Not sure what can be done about these during this series.

MinusZero
on August 31, 2014, 22:49 GMT

Clarke might have top scored but he shouldnt have played. Why do they keep bringing players back before they are fit. Example: Watson.

kc69
on August 31, 2014, 22:45 GMT

Now like English fans Aussie fans will also say ODI cricket is not a real format and test cricket is the real cricket.Get over with it guys Zim are improving by playing tougher oppositions.

bren19
on August 31, 2014, 22:21 GMT

Congratulations Zimbabwe. As a lover of cricket I say well done and hopefully it is the start of many more successes for the team. As a supporter of Australia I say hang your heads in shame. It seems to be the thing with this team. They find the point where they are not tough enough to win.

Albert_cambell
on August 31, 2014, 22:17 GMT

Congratz ZImbabwe on their famous win. I have always said Zimbabwe is a talented team and they should be given more international games.

TheDreadPirateRoberts
on August 31, 2014, 21:05 GMT

Any team conceding 18 wides in 48 overs should expect to lose.

on August 31, 2014, 20:31 GMT

Congrats to Zimbabwe. Let's hope this victory gives them some confidence and they can challenge top teams in all formats.

CM1000
on August 31, 2014, 20:14 GMT

@EnglishCricket Are you joking? You really think that Australia losing ONE match of any sort to Zimbabwe in 30 years is more embarrassing than numerous recent records of Englands? A quick look at the stats shows that England have actually lost EIGHT one day internationals to Zimbabwe in the last 20 years! Not to mention two 5-0 white washes in the Ashes in the last decade, and a home Test series loss to Sri Lanka this year. And you are seriously suggesting that losing a very occasional ODI to a Test playing nation (even if they are not a great side) is more embarrassing than getting beaten not once, but TWICE by an associate country like Holland, both in the last five years, as well as Ireland in a World Cup? I really don't like teasing any supporters, but people like you really do bring it on yourselves. Haven't you heard the one about people in glass houses?

johnathonjosephs
on August 31, 2014, 20:11 GMT

Congrats Zimbabwe. Australia messed up by not including steven smith and mitchell johnson in the team. Not sure what letting Mitchell Marsh to open the bowling was about. Clarke bowling one over with his hamstring problem was not that heroic. They really needed Clarke to bowl before and in more overs. Glenn Maxwell's bowling was not that accurate. Off topic real quick, does anybody else think that Maxwell's action is dodgy? He definitely seems to be chucking the ball and a lot more obvious than Shillingford, Senanayake, or any other bowler

on August 31, 2014, 20:11 GMT

Great to see Zimbabwe competing, first against SA and now Australia, the bowling has been exceptional in this series, the batting can be improved but, sorry to say the fielding has been dismal, they could gave destroyed Australia if the held on to half the chances given to them.

No.444
on August 31, 2014, 19:49 GMT

Excellent play Zimbabwe. I kept thinking it was the end but they hung in there. Lovely to see. The Aussies messed this one up-one spinner? Really? Either it was poor selection, or arrogant selection. Either way, the Aussie selectors deserve the ignomy that has come their way. Their future sub continent opponents must be licking their lips. They were clueless against some great spin bowling. Speaking of which, Zimbabwe should tour the sub continent. They seem well suited to bowl in those conditions. With some batting improvements, they should do quite nicely. Cmon Ind, SL, Pak. Get these over there and vice versa.

GermanPlayer
on August 31, 2014, 19:30 GMT

Before the SA game, I could see the Aus supporters claiming to have the best firepower in the batting lineup in the world. Today the same batting line up could hardly put up 200 runs. And the bowlers who seem to be unable to defend scores over 300 were asked to defend just 200+. There is a reason why being humble is always the best course of action. The Aussie supporters should show it too.

SL_rockz
on August 31, 2014, 18:56 GMT

Manjil Dahal
Aus should not allow to play for 2015 WC :P ..Wow this man should be a regular cricket viewer :)

Well played Zim... You can get huge amount of confidence from this and move forward. Please utilize this opportunity and use the correct path to success. Do not be world beaters as BD did by just this win. :) Just accept the place u are now and take the confidence and move on.

Your bowling is really good one for me.. Batting is bit worry even today u chased down 209. I believe you have the talent. No question about that. But that mentality of being defeated and all out at low scores makes u under estimate your talents.. Donot be so .. Mitchel Johnson can be hit for six.. Steyn too. If you donot afraid and play to your talents any bowler is just a bowler. Respect the good delivery from any bowler and dispatch what is to dispatched. Simple theory...

on August 31, 2014, 18:54 GMT

Whatta game it was indeed. Zimbabwe are showing their worth again as a decent cricket playing nation which is extremely good for cricket. Australia need a revamp in their ODI playing XI, firstly need to strengthen their middle order and the bowling as well. They shouldn't be taking any team lightly. Zimbabwe on the other end have played good cricket against both South Africa and Australia in both the departments batting and bowling, hats off to them and I would love to see a lot more upsets happening where the so called underdogs take over the big teams and come up. Well done guys! cheers.

EnglishCricket
on August 31, 2014, 18:41 GMT

What an embarrassing loss for a team like Australia and deserve to lose anyway. In fact, this is worse than England losing to the Netherlands since its a 50 over game. Their ranking has taken a heavy hit now from 1st to 4th.

muhd_shuaib
on August 31, 2014, 18:39 GMT

Congratx Zimbabewean on an amazing victory....My Question from all those critiques that when pak lost to zimbabwe every person in the world had criticised pak cricket. No doubt about that pakistan can do unpredictable things on any given day...We can loose to anyone and we can win from anyone but now when australia had lost today m not seeing anyone criticizing australia though they are lost from zimbabwe in the captaincy of Clarke, same clarke who had made ashes win for australia..this doesnot mean that people should take any team for granted...Cricket is always a funny game but being rational on one side that doesnt support your county.....

Proudly_SA.47
on August 31, 2014, 18:20 GMT

They came close against SA and finally did it against Aus in what is one of the most famous upset in the history of the game. Well done Zimbabwe. Take a bow!! You fully deserved this win. I know some Aus pundits will probably come out blaming the pitch, well SA played on a similar pitch and managed to win, and besides, to be a great side and considered the best than you should be able to win on any given pitch. They might also blame it on Clarke being injured halfway through the innings, well the same happened to AB but he still scored a century and won it for us. Or maybe they will blame it on Johnson not being in the team, well I doubt he would have made much difference since he didn't do much against SA or in the previous game against Zim. He is just an over rated bowler that needs conditions to suit him, fast track bully!! So all in all, Aus really have no excuses. They were beaten proper!!! I Love the Aussie team though, hate their arrogant fans and media. So this is to them! Take that!!

on August 31, 2014, 18:02 GMT

congrats Zimbabwe from Pakistan.

asiacricket1234
on August 31, 2014, 18:00 GMT

Zimbabwe becoming the new Pakistan. So unpredictable. After losing twice to Afghan I dont think anyone expected them to do this. Well Done Zimbabwe and best of luck for the future

on August 31, 2014, 17:54 GMT

31st august after 31 years

Lion_96
on August 31, 2014, 17:51 GMT

Great effort from Zim. Remember, they have hardly played any cricket since Pakistan toured in sept 2013. And to almost beat SAF and now to beat Australia, is a brilliant effort. I thought that their Test Return was a bit premature in 2011, but they have started to win the odd game (Test win v Pak, ODI tie v NZL). When you consider the amount cricket Bangladesh have played in that same time period and the fact that they haven't won a game this year (lost to AFG at home, as well as most of their other matches), goes to show the performance in contrast between the two sides. Will this put more pressure on BAN to perform. ZIM decline is understandbly and at at times unavoidable (politcal instability, player protest, hardly any interest etc). How do you explain BAN? Population of 154 million, the no.1 sport in the country, endless opportunites, no political instability that has led to tours cancelled in the country and a Test played nation for 14 years? SL won the WC in its first 14 years.

TimeKiller
on August 31, 2014, 17:51 GMT

Well done Zimbabwe! Keep it up! knock down a few more.

Greatest_Game
on August 31, 2014, 17:30 GMT

@ xtrafalgarx commented about the Ponting era: "What some people don't understand is that as much as they were talented, their hunger and desire to win every single game they played."

Nothing will satiate that hunger quicker than a big wad of IPL money. The Zimbabwe team today showed more guts and grit than did a team of incredibly well paid, millionaire players, who were recently trampled underfoot on the test cricket fields of England.

Another player & skipper with that hunger was Hansie Cronje. For all his faults, Hansie was a match winning skipper because he HATED losing. In May 1996, soon after he took over the captaincy, SA became the number 1 ranked ODI team. (Retrospective ICC rankings.) SA only lost that number 1 ranking in March 2000 the month after Hansie's exposure and expulsion from cricket. That is NO coincidence!

Interestingly, from January 1996 to August 2012, only 2 teams held the top ODI spot, exchanging it 10 times over those 16 years - Australia & South Africa.

neo-galactico
on August 31, 2014, 17:11 GMT

Great win for Zim, should do wonders for their confidence. From an Oz POV, this loss doesn't have any bearing on the WC chances, unless they prepare slow, low turners for the tournament which they won't. That said, it has a bearing on their test team. With the tour of UAE coming up will their batsmen be able to combat the slow, low turners against Ajmal & co? Will their bowlers take wickets on such pitches? Will Lyon perform when he's required to be the main wicket-taker? Will Mitch's form continue and will his skills be enough on pitches less suiting to his strengths? But these are questions for another time and day.

gimme-a-greentop
on August 31, 2014, 17:09 GMT

The man to feel most pleased for is Prosper Utseya. I felt bad when they lost to SA, despite his hat-trick and five-for. I think this is going to supplant that as his favourite cricketing memory - smoking a six to win against Australia.

on August 31, 2014, 17:08 GMT

Amazing...
Cricket is being changed.
The weaker are growing stronger and the stronger getting weaker

Ramansilva
on August 31, 2014, 17:07 GMT

Zim boys have done what Banga boys cannot even dream of. Congratulations!!! for flooring one of the so-called big three.

Greatest_Game
on August 31, 2014, 17:02 GMT

@ xtrafalgerx wrote "Lehmann isn't free of blame here. Far too much experimentation, which I always felt would lead us into dire straits."

When Gary Kirsten took over as SA coach - following soon after none other than Micky Arthur - Kirsten also decided on lots of ODI team experimentation, and SA's ODI team went from great to bad to just plain awful: from a W/L ratio over 2, to a ratio below 1. The ODI team hit rock bottom in Sri Lanka a year ago, but has since stabilized. They now have a settled batting order for the first time in 3 years, mostly due to de Kock who stabilized the opening pair, which had been a major problem. After that the rest of the order fell into place. It took a 20 year old kid to plug the gap Kirsten made.

I hope for the Aussies that this is not another "post Micky Arthur ODI team destruction." Well, at least until after the WC that is. Pre WC ODI team destruction is just fine and dandy by me! Keep up the good work, Boof! Experimentation pays off - don't quit!

Sal0891
on August 31, 2014, 17:01 GMT

Nice to see that cricket is always not one sided that sometimes testing the best teams like Aus, Sa with tough fights from the unpredictable teams. Credits to Zim were pretty good in bowling and fairly well in batting. But of course they need to work on fielding dept. especially on catching. As a cricket fan , I would love to see Zim as in 90's. They had some great players like Flower brothers, johnson, streak,Cambell, Olongo etc as i can relish even now. Congrats Zim keep the moment and play hard..

on August 31, 2014, 16:56 GMT

The underdog has to win. This extraordinary win will boost the confidence of the young side n hopefully they will surprise better teams..... well done keep it up.

Senaratne77
on August 31, 2014, 16:49 GMT

Hats off. Well played from SL

Retour
on August 31, 2014, 16:48 GMT

Great result for Zim! Hope the team continues with the good work.

on August 31, 2014, 16:47 GMT

The way Australia lost to Zimbabwe in this game, I think Australia should not be allowed to play 2015 World Cup Cricket tournament next year to save their prestige of past world cup tournaments. The way they played this game seems they do not deserve to play world cup cricket 2015 tournament.

on August 31, 2014, 16:32 GMT

RSA had a great escape in last match ;) AUS has gave up today :P. Cricket is not easy as these guys think. All the best Zim. Go hard again to bring the best of your opponent and beat. Love Cricket :)

ASathiyamurthy
on August 31, 2014, 16:31 GMT

Let this begins the rise of zimbabwe in world cricket. still long way to go to prove it

basusri133b
on August 31, 2014, 16:28 GMT

Congrtulations to the Zimbabwe team on this historic win. May this be the start of a new era in Zimbabwe cricket. I hope the Indian think tank is paying close attention to the results of this game; especially the Australian performance against quality spin. This will bode well for our preperation for the Cricket World Cup later this year.

Greatest_Game
on August 31, 2014, 16:25 GMT

Massive congratulations to Zimbabwe on a well deserved win. Against all odds, against the top dogs, against the world's expectations, they had complete faith in their abilities, stuck to their guns, showed no fear & played with intent to pull off one for the record books. That was an incredibly exciting finish, & when the stubborn & immovable block of sheer grit that is Prosper Utseya whipped out an effortless six to close out a historic win, I was yelling like a crazy man. Cricket hardly gets better than this.

Everybody loves a win by the underdog, & Zim can be proud that they earned every bit of it: Aus did not play badly - Zim played well. They have taken loss after loss with good grace, good sportsmanship, & without rolling over. Even as Aus fought to the death, fielders saving every run possible, with the pressure mounting, there was not a hint of fear from Prosper & Elton. These two old hands don't choke. They wanted that win, went out, & earned every run.

Respect earned.

on August 31, 2014, 16:25 GMT

Zimbabwe doing extreamly well under lack of resources, How tallented you are? ICC should pay more attention about them and should grant more facilities to them. Wish U All The Best!!!!

on August 31, 2014, 16:21 GMT

Many congratulations to Zim fan and team for this historic win.

R_U_4_REAL_NICK
on August 31, 2014, 16:21 GMT

Well done Zimbabwe! I tuned off after Lyon got his 4-fer thinking they [Zimbabwe] were going to fold yet again; but superb effort from Chigumbura and Utseya, and well done team for fighting to the end.

@Jono Makim (post on August 31, 2014, 15:54 GMT): I agree - much more thought needs to go into the pitch and conditions, before just simply scribbling down 11 names on that piece of paper. It's times like this my little rants about Warner/Hughes don't look so silly eh... Never said they weren't talented blokes - just need a horses for courses approach; probably first names down for playing in Aus., but big no-no's for U.K., Zimbabwe...

on August 31, 2014, 16:17 GMT

This is the result of including too many so called allrounders. Ultimately they can't perform a single art efficiently. Watsons, Falkners, Starcs...Come on ask them to do one thing correctly. Well done Zims!

AltafPatel
on August 31, 2014, 16:11 GMT

Zim has very powerful bowling department, they restricted twice top 2 teams of the world within 4.5 RR

AltafPatel
on August 31, 2014, 16:10 GMT

Series will be interesting if they win against SA as well !

on August 31, 2014, 16:07 GMT

Great win, Congratulations Zimbabwe, keep it up.

batman_gothamcity
on August 31, 2014, 16:03 GMT

Congrats to Zimbabwea for spectacular win , under dogs win always look attractive . Aussies are a good side and some times a wake up call is good now that they have slipped to no 4 in the ranking and India are no 1. Aussies will surely bounce back and win the tri series .

alfrends
on August 31, 2014, 16:02 GMT

At last feels good to be a zimbabwe fan . well played guys

CricketPerson
on August 31, 2014, 16:00 GMT

I like a lot! So happy for Zimbabwe team - this is from a Kenya supporting Zimbabwe today; also enjoying the whole tri-series, they should have more of these; Also wonderful to see fans of all backgrounds supporting the team - just shows that there's hope race is not an issue

on August 31, 2014, 15:57 GMT

Well done Zim!!! I hope that this is the start of something great. You deserve it!

on August 31, 2014, 15:56 GMT

well done zimbabwe too good for us today congratulation to zimbabwe cricket team.

xtrafalgarx
on August 31, 2014, 15:56 GMT

This is turning into a bit of a rant here, but that's the other reason why the past Australian sides were great. A lot of people say 'Oh, it was easy for them, they had players like Mcgrath, Warne, Ponting.' What some people don't understand is that as much as they were talented, their hunder and desire to win every single game they played. It's a lot harder being the hunted as opposed to be the hunter. They knew every time they played they were expected to win, for me that sort of pressure is the greatest of all , the pressure of expectation.

That's why I admire the likes of Warne and Ponting. Ponting especially, who was seen as arrogant and angry, but every time he was on the pitch he wanted to win and did everything in his power to do so, to me, more than his batting talents that was his greatest strength - the desire to win.

The guys we have today seem to think they can win, simply because they are Australian. It's not easy being the best, go hard or go home.

on August 31, 2014, 15:54 GMT

The Aussie squad is looking very heavy with allrounders and not enough specialists. How you can go to Zimbabwe with just one spinner is pretty questionable, spin bowling is their strength and with pitches like these it is little wonder. I hope this is just a sorting out of the order for us in regards to who are our best allrounders and not the plan going forward, we are not going to bowl out sides playing only two specialist bowlers like we did today, particularly when their bowling isn't suited to the pitches. There needs to be more thought going into team selections when the pitch isn't flat and bouncy. Blokes like Finch, Hughes and Marsh are never going to make runs on pitches like that whereas a bloke like Smith would have been every chance of playing a match winning knock.

on August 31, 2014, 15:54 GMT

Where is James Muirhead? Terrible selection Cricket Australia.

Ninjah
on August 31, 2014, 15:53 GMT

I'm so happy for Zimbabwe for this win against Australia. Zimbabwe has made history today of ending the 31 years wait. Zimbabwe needs to approve the batting skills, once that happens they will rise higher.

on August 31, 2014, 15:52 GMT

Well done Zimbabwe you always had good players over the years the team of late 90s were the best but can't take away anything from this team with limited rosources you still punch above your waist good luck in the upcoming matches and series

VinodGupte
on August 31, 2014, 15:51 GMT

And here I was thinking AUS will start as Favourites come WC 2015. They won't. Not at all. IND, SL and SA have a very good chance of lifting the trophy this time.

Greatest_Game
on August 31, 2014, 15:51 GMT

@ Sexysteven tells us "I wish the the zimbos would show fight for the whole 100overs not just for half of it I'm sure Aussie will win easy…"

Err… what was that you said, sexy feller? Fight, did you say? He he he …. we know who showed who how to fight today! You got your wish - Zimbabwe showed their fighting spirit, and there was no easy Aussie win.

BUT, Clarke & his Aussies showed humility & gracious sportsmanship today. I did not see anything that seemed out of line from the Aussies. Starc got a little lippy but Utseya put him in his place with a well wagged finger, and that was about it. They played fair, & took the loss well.

On the subject of Clarke, those suggesting there is no place in the team for him are plain daft. Who scored the Aussie runs today? Clarke & Haddin - the old guys! Big Show is No Show half of the time … or more. Finch seems a bit more of a Mockingbird… etc. Torn hammie or not, Clarke is still one of the best batsmen in the world. Period. He's Aussie gold!

grahaam
on August 31, 2014, 15:49 GMT

great day!! credit to all in Zim camp.. but seam bowlers will be required for the future..you cant take your ground staff on tour!!!

on August 31, 2014, 15:48 GMT

This is unbelievable, Hughes you should quit. I mean picking Hughes over Smith doesn't make sense especially when you have Haddin available as an opener but of course how can Clarke's favorite player serving drinks? Whenever Hughes plays Australia loses the match. And where the hell is Muirhead? What bad has he done? Why is he not in the squad? Terrible squad. Leaving players like White, Muirhead, Ferguson, Doherty, Lynn,

on August 31, 2014, 15:45 GMT

Great performance from the Zimbabweans, they truly deserved that win, particularly the way Chigumbura and Utseya fought back at the end to bring it home. They are always gritty and it was great to see them get a win for it today.

cheapskate
on August 31, 2014, 15:44 GMT

Time for the selectors to wake up and do their job. Why risk Clarke with a world cup,test series here against india and overseas vs pakistan plus an ashes in england in the next 12 months in a nothing odi series. How Faulkner (expensive and takes bugger all wickets) Hughes(should never play internationals again as teams have him worked out) and Starc (just a terrible bowler who cant build pressure) keep getting picked beggars belief.

But congrats to Zimbabwe and hoe this augurs well for the future of cricket there and hope it gets back to the halycon days of the 90's before Mugabe screwed it up

CricketChat
on August 31, 2014, 15:43 GMT

Zim win is like a fresh breath of air! Cricket game itself needed a shot up in the arm like this game. I was exasperated many times recently with Zim blowing winnable matches time after time after restricting opposition to below par scores due to poor batting from top order. Even in this match, it was the late order that won the game. Hopefully, the win will instil self belief which seemed to be lacking all this time.

Sinhaya
on August 31, 2014, 15:42 GMT

It is clear that Zimbabwe's strength is spin bowling and not pace. So should prepare turning pitches for home games. Unlike SA, where pitches favor pace, Zimbabwe not the case.

on August 31, 2014, 15:42 GMT

Well done Zimbabwe as very well deserved. Australia you were terrible with bat and ball and didn't deserve anything other than a defeat. Hopefully smith gets back in the team too.

Sinhaya
on August 31, 2014, 15:41 GMT

Hearty congratulations Zimbabwe from a Sri Lankan fan. I understand how special it is to beat Australia after 31 years and only for the 2nd time ever. I know Zimbabwe has beaten other test playing nations in ODI cricket at least 5 times each. Well the need of the hour is for Zimbabwe to play as many games at home to improve. This team has a lot of talent, but needs more chances. They tend to give away runs in the slog overs like day before against SA helping the last pair pile 30 plus runs. Had Zimbabwe taken all the catches today, Aussies would not have crossed 200 runs. If Zimbabwe beat SA day before, they would have been likely finals contenders as of today.

Well relish this moment and celebrate and hope the game against SA on Thursday will be exciting. Use this win to build on confidence and hopefully it will usher a new era for Zimbabwean cricket.

xtrafalgarx
on August 31, 2014, 15:35 GMT

Also, we have overestimated Bailey's captaincy credentials. He is a good bloke, and a good leader but the guy just isn't a good tactician. He had Finch bowling in the first 15 overs, which he did in the T20WC for some reason and it has cost us dear both times.

Also the fact that he has over seen the majority of our failures to defend 300+ totals can't be a coincidence. Yet another reason to keep Clarke in the side, who even on one leg showed why is still streets ahead of a lot of these blokes. You can't buy experience and talent at the market. People calling for him to be dropped are forgetting the fact that we won't always be on top in these games..

You have to be hungry every single day, every match against any opponent. I have been accused of being too negative, but you can't rest on your laurels all the time. It doesn't matter who you are facing, play your best side and attack with everything you have otherwise you leave yourself susceptible to these kinds of defeats..

on August 31, 2014, 15:35 GMT

Very very clear to see the effect Clarke has on the team - they don't want him in the team and play much worse when he is in it. But people will misinterpret it and think he was the standout, but the reality is he knows he is universally disliked and needs to perform out of his skin to keep his spot.

Biggus
on August 31, 2014, 15:30 GMT

Well done Zimbabwe! Too good for us today. Congrats on a well deserved victory.

I'm glad Clarke came into captain halfway through the innings because people would have given Bailey so much stick for this loss. About his captaincy and all...But really, at the end of the day, with just one specialist spinner on that pitch, Australia was always going to find it difficult to defend a total of 210. Good win by Zimbabwe!!

Samdanh
on August 31, 2014, 15:25 GMT

Aus paying for their arrogance and blinkered approach. How can you travel to such countries where spin is local team's strength, with just one regular spinner in squad and play on such a dry pitch with just one regular spinner? One more, say, Jon Holland, or Steven O'Keefe could have helped them win this one under 30 overs. Learn and change or prepare to perish whenever you counter tracks that turn square in ODIs, leave alone on 1st day in Tests!

2nd_Slip
on August 31, 2014, 15:23 GMT

Well played Zim, very well played!!

xtrafalgarx
on August 31, 2014, 15:22 GMT

The better team won the day here, make no mistake about that. Fans around the cricket world will doubtless never let Australia forget this day and Australia will be very dissapointed to lose, but the result is a true reflection of the days play. Had Australia won, they would feel as if they got out of jail, it is a bad day for Australia but a good one for Zimbabwe, and good for cricket - we will have to cop that sweet.

On our side of things, something about out bowling line up stinks, i'm not sure what it is. If i had to guess, i would say Faulkner is a big reason for that. As much as I like him as a cricketer, he is picked on his bowling first and foremost and his bowling has been well below par for 12 - 14 months now.

Lehmann isn't free of blame here. Far too much experimentation, which I always felt would lead us into dire staits. The obsession with Marsh has to stop, he simply isn't ready we should also stop picking seamers on spinning tracks!

We got what we deserve.

MichaelBurton
on August 31, 2014, 15:21 GMT

Congrat Zim!!! I thought we were in the strongest group (A) of the WC alongside Eng, SL, NZ. Now, I think we are lucky not to be in the group B along with SA, Zim, Pak and Ind. From an embarrassed Aussie fan.

electric_loco_WAP4
on August 31, 2014, 15:18 GMT

Well,a lucky W vs a v young,inexp. Aussie team missing a handful of their star players and coming off long rusty break.Good on them!But Aussies would hardly mind it.They know on much worse day they are better than this.But congrats on a W after 35 yrs!

Captainman
on August 31, 2014, 15:17 GMT

Congrats to Zimbabwe on a famous win but it was clearly a fluke. Australia should be ashamed that they rested their key players in Johnson, Smith etc otherwise they wouldn't have lost.

karthik_ig
on August 31, 2014, 15:15 GMT

What a match! Congratulations Zimbabwe! Hope this win would bring good for zimbabwe cricket as well as zimbabwe as a nation! This could be a turning point for zimbabwe cricket!

SajithaD
on August 31, 2014, 15:12 GMT

Way to go Zimbabwe guys... You are awesome... Congratz from Sri Lanka...

AB_DeVilliers
on August 31, 2014, 15:12 GMT

Haha can't get enough of this! So much for being the number 1 ODI team! Great to see the so called great strategist Michael Clarke being brought to ground. Time for u and Lehman to eat some humble pie. Great for Zim, ecstatic really.

on August 31, 2014, 15:11 GMT

If the pitch is spinning it looks more and more clear that batsmen of teams like england, australia, SA etc play very poor, in fact many times it looks like these batsmen have not even any clue how to play against spin.

Not able to play against spin as good as against the fast bowling is one thing but playing so pathetically against spin is something totally different.

Phil Hughes is simply bad luck for the Australians. Matches he plays in, Australia loses, e.g Ashes of 2013 in England, Test series in India, last two ODI matches.

DragonCricketer
on August 31, 2014, 11:19 GMT

I'm slightly annoyed that Hughes didn't get 150+

R_U_4_REAL_NICK
on August 31, 2014, 11:14 GMT

@xtrafalgarx (post on August 31, 2014, 9:13 GMT): Don't think anybody is questioning Clarke's talent in ODIs; he has, after all, been carrying the team for so long. Personally I just don't want to see him run himself into the ground and jeopardize his test career. As others have said, wild horses wont keep him away from the World Cup. So be it.

electric_loco_WAP4
on August 31, 2014, 11:13 GMT

Aussies again showing their batting might.Arguably best bat line up in world.To get 200+ on this pitch,which would be like 300 on any other pitch is a terrific effort.Now for Lyon and co. to roll over Zim for below 100. A good work out though for Aussies.

enlightenedone
on August 31, 2014, 11:10 GMT

@ dark man x. why dont use the stats analysis on cricinfo to see which team has been the best in the history of odi cricket. its not india. ill give you a clue its a team that you seem to spew a lot of vitriol against. theyve also won the world cup 4 times and 3 in a row too. im not saying india is a bad team theyre one of the top odi teams but theyre not the best. i know deep down you know the truth.

SajithaD
on August 31, 2014, 11:01 GMT

Well I'm hoping for Zimbabwe to win but the body language of the Zimbabwe team says something like they don't want to win this... This team has serious talent but needs some people around the support staff to teach them how to fight... And the spinners have done exceptionally well but the Zimbabwe captain chose pacers to bowl last overs even after they were getting hit... They lost to south africa because of the same tactic and because of the negative batting approach in first overs... Their only chance to win this match is play some positive batting which I never seen from them although sometimes player or two show that kind of approach ( like taylor, chigambura, williams)... But its not enough to win a team game like Cricket...

on August 31, 2014, 10:59 GMT

Aussies and SA talk about the world cup when they cant even play associates. Their bolwers get smacked all around the park while Zimbabwean spinner takes hatricks and 5 fees. Ha ha!! Whaata joke these two team are!! They don't even know how to defend a high score. Good bye Aussies. You are out of the world cup even before you play. SA, I don't need to say much. Ha!they always come in favorites n are the first one to go out.

Gurudumu
on August 31, 2014, 10:47 GMT

Why would Chigumbura bowl seamers when he had spinners left with overs to go! Surely it's a no brainier that spin tied the Aussies down. Poor captaincy.....

Aussie_Nate
on August 31, 2014, 10:32 GMT

Is it just me or does this pitch seem like a day 5 pitch from a test match?

C'mon Zimbabwe, you host all of the triangular series at the same venue and the pitches look tired. It doesn't seem like cricket!

electric_loco_WAP4
on August 31, 2014, 10:31 GMT

Surprised Clarke opted to retire hurt with more than 8 overs to go.All he had to do was give Haddin the strike.Crucial for a well set batsman to hold an end up on such substandard pitch.

ForeverProteas49
on August 31, 2014, 10:26 GMT

Hi All, lets not make assumptions here, once again a turner has been prepared, Zim have to bat in that as well, If Aus score 180 it should be enough ( I said Should)

electric_loco_WAP4
on August 31, 2014, 10:23 GMT

Really surprised with Clarke retiring hurt with 8 overs left to play.All he has to do is give strike to Haddin.A set batsmen is so crucial to hold 1 end up on this substandard pitch.

Gareth_Bain
on August 31, 2014, 10:02 GMT

ODIs are so much more interesting when they offer a contest between bat and ball. That's why T20s are so mind-numbingly, repetitively boring.

on August 31, 2014, 9:49 GMT

@ashokemightyindian. always lovely reading this drivel. I like the Indian team but will never support it because of fans like you. Australia will win the world cup if their bowling should improve. sa might win the world cup if their finishers can soak up the pressure and finish it for them. looks unlikely. Pakistan are Pakistan. India need to remain humble or risk being the worst winners in cricket historye

on August 31, 2014, 9:46 GMT

The overall record of Aus v Ind in India is 25-21, while in Aus its 29-10.last time i checked it was a Zim V Aus match not India v the rest of the cricket playing nations.Between pretty shameful from Zimbabwe cricket to prepare pitches such as these.Harare was always good for fast bowling while the strip at ulawayo used to turn,But these are rank turners and havent seen ones like these ever

xtrafalgarx
on August 31, 2014, 9:13 GMT

MJ Clarke, coming in cold after months off and an injury - showing why he is still a cut above the rest. Still people question his position in the side.

Sexysteven
on August 31, 2014, 9:10 GMT

I wish the the zimbos would show fight for the whole 100overs not just for half of it I'm sure Aussie will win easy but would be nice to see the zimbos push them a lot cos I'm not a fan of the Aussies and like to see them lose mainly cos they don't play the game the right way they always cross that line by abusing the opponents I like sledging but the Aussies don't sledge they abuse and intimidate the oppositions that's def not in the spirit of the game funny sledges n playing mind games without crossing that is what I like to see and none of this abuse swearing personal stuff and intimidation if only the Aussies could play within the rules other then that they are bloody good team if only they were more humble

on August 31, 2014, 9:04 GMT

Do not underestimate other teams Indians. Sometimes Indian team will end in first round of worldcup. All teams have chance to win world cup.

on August 31, 2014, 8:25 GMT

i kind of like like your world cup premonitions

xtrafalgarx
on August 31, 2014, 8:16 GMT

The Zimbabwean bowlers deserve respect. I said last time when we won that the win wasn't as easy as it looked because the start was very slow due to being tied down. They troubles the Saffers last game, and now they have us in a lurch as well. All runs are well earnt.

Nduru
on August 31, 2014, 15:52 GMT

Well done to Zimbabwe on a famous win - something that the team with the Flowers never managed to do, so let's give credit where it's due.

I have to point out that Mangongo appears to have adopted a more pragmatic approach than he promised. Despite Taylor getting a duck last match, he did what we were all calling for and allowed him to play, and look what happened? He got the second highest score of this amazing match, and was the key player in the biggest partnership. So, this is what we are talking about when we point out the folly of dropping a player like Taylor, even after a poor run.

Elton - that was his most important knock of his career. Very proud of you man. A true captains knock you can tell your grandkids about.

Utseya. What can I say? What a feisty, gutsy little player!

And Williams bowled amazingly well, as did Prosper and Nyumbu.

xtrafalgarx
on August 31, 2014, 8:16 GMT

The Zimbabwean bowlers deserve respect. I said last time when we won that the win wasn't as easy as it looked because the start was very slow due to being tied down. They troubles the Saffers last game, and now they have us in a lurch as well. All runs are well earnt.

on August 31, 2014, 8:25 GMT

i kind of like like your world cup premonitions

on August 31, 2014, 9:04 GMT

Do not underestimate other teams Indians. Sometimes Indian team will end in first round of worldcup. All teams have chance to win world cup.

Sexysteven
on August 31, 2014, 9:10 GMT

I wish the the zimbos would show fight for the whole 100overs not just for half of it I'm sure Aussie will win easy but would be nice to see the zimbos push them a lot cos I'm not a fan of the Aussies and like to see them lose mainly cos they don't play the game the right way they always cross that line by abusing the opponents I like sledging but the Aussies don't sledge they abuse and intimidate the oppositions that's def not in the spirit of the game funny sledges n playing mind games without crossing that is what I like to see and none of this abuse swearing personal stuff and intimidation if only the Aussies could play within the rules other then that they are bloody good team if only they were more humble

xtrafalgarx
on August 31, 2014, 9:13 GMT

MJ Clarke, coming in cold after months off and an injury - showing why he is still a cut above the rest. Still people question his position in the side.

on August 31, 2014, 9:46 GMT

The overall record of Aus v Ind in India is 25-21, while in Aus its 29-10.last time i checked it was a Zim V Aus match not India v the rest of the cricket playing nations.Between pretty shameful from Zimbabwe cricket to prepare pitches such as these.Harare was always good for fast bowling while the strip at ulawayo used to turn,But these are rank turners and havent seen ones like these ever

on August 31, 2014, 9:49 GMT

@ashokemightyindian. always lovely reading this drivel. I like the Indian team but will never support it because of fans like you. Australia will win the world cup if their bowling should improve. sa might win the world cup if their finishers can soak up the pressure and finish it for them. looks unlikely. Pakistan are Pakistan. India need to remain humble or risk being the worst winners in cricket historye

Gareth_Bain
on August 31, 2014, 10:02 GMT

ODIs are so much more interesting when they offer a contest between bat and ball. That's why T20s are so mind-numbingly, repetitively boring.

electric_loco_WAP4
on August 31, 2014, 10:23 GMT

Really surprised with Clarke retiring hurt with 8 overs left to play.All he has to do is give strike to Haddin.A set batsmen is so crucial to hold 1 end up on this substandard pitch.

ForeverProteas49
on August 31, 2014, 10:26 GMT

Hi All, lets not make assumptions here, once again a turner has been prepared, Zim have to bat in that as well, If Aus score 180 it should be enough ( I said Should)